Living with anxiety is probably the worst thing in the world and dealing with it is harder. The first thing most people think of is medication. But with medication comes this lovely thing called side effects. Some side effects are the absolute worst thing in the world, depending on the medication. Drugs like Xanax make you incredibly drowsy and give you sort of a high feeling. Even the smallest dose can knock you out in about two seconds. Then other medications like Buspirone have weird side effects like nightmares. I think to myself if it's an anti-anxiety medication then why would it cause nightmares? That'd just give you more anxiety.
As someone who lives with anxiety and deals with it on a daily basis, I have found some different methods that have worked for me that don't involve medication. I thought it'd be good to share.
1. Yoga
Yoga is one of the best known ways to help treat anxiety. It gives you something to do. It allows you to reconnect with yourself and brings out inner peace. I started my yoga journey six months ago. it was the best decision of my life.
2. Meditation
The "zen" in meditation is very helpful. It almost instantly calms you down. It allows you to practice different breathing exercises that definitely come in handy during stressful/anxiety ridden situations. It helps you to remember to breathe and is instantly calming.
3. Exercise
Exercise is very good to do if you live with anxiety. With working out, you release endorphins and they make you happy. Working out also allows you to release stress and anxiety. You can take it out on your body and it makes you feel better and hey, you look better too! What could be better than that?
4. A change of scenery
Believe it or not, a change of scenery can do SO much during an anxiety attack. Sometimes when I get overwhelmed I go outside, take a long walk, go down to the dock near my house. The water is relaxing, it's very calming and relaxes me quickly. Walking down a path near my house also helps, it gives me a chance to cool off and gather myself in a way.
5. Removing toxic people from my life.
This way was probably the best thing I could've ever done for my mental health and for myself in general. I removed a lot of people from my life. I tried to make the best of those relationships, but all it did was shoot my anxiety sky high. It also made my depression worse having those certain people in my life. Looking back now, cutting ties with those people that are now just a chapter of my life, was the best thing I ever did. My anxiety is lowered since removing said people
6. Prayer
God is always with you no matter how hard the situation may be. He will always be there to relieve your anxiety and will never ever give up on you. A few bible verses I have found helpful during times of stress and anxiety are: Exodus 14:14, Philippians 4:6-7, and 1 Peter 5:6-8. I've found it difficult at times to trust in God, but remember this, God is always in control and is usually five steps ahead of you.
These different ways can definitely help. Becoming dependent on medication is awful because medications like Xanax for example just make you high basically. While medication is beneficial, it's not something we should rely on. Understanding and accepting that, has been hard at times for me. I've always thought that I needed medication to be in control. But, through the years, I've found the side effects to be worse than anything. I've seen myself on "mind-altering" medications like Adderall and Xanax and it's truly the worst thing ever. You feel awful after you come down off the medication. Now only being on one medication that doesn't really affect me that much, it helps my anxiety, but these different methods have truly changed my life. Trusting in yourself and trusting God have shown me that I can overcome this.
